Harpblog is the weblog of Camac Harps.

Camac partners' news

September 23, 2014

Salts Mill, the huge and splendid mill built by Sir Titus Salt in 1853, was once the largest industrial revolution building in the world. It is now a thriving cultural centre, particularly famous for its David Hockney collection, and with all sorts of concerts, exhibitions and events. Such as! the one Eric, Alain and I have just returned from: the harp weekend held with our partners at Salts Mill, The Early Music Shop.

In case you are wondering why we, manufacturers of modern concert and lever harps, can be found in a shop otherwise specialising in early music - the relationship between the EMS and Camac goes back to the 1970s. At this time the Celtic and early music revivals were in full swing, and Camac was young and made a large variety of different instruments. We started devoting ourselves exclusively to the harp in the 1980s, and our Saltaire partnership has continued. You will find a complete range of our acoustic pedal and lever harps in Saltaire, up to and including our Vendôme, and of course you can order any of our models to this base in the middle of the United Kingdom.

We've had a great time at the harp weekend, led by Eira Lynn Jones, Louise Thomson and Rhian Evans. It was an event principally aimed at adult amateurs. This is a harpist group who can sometimes feel unsure of themselves, feeling they are "not serious". But, define serious - many of us love teaching amateurs, and there is nothing unserious about their passion and commitment, and the new perspectives on music they often teach us in turn.

August 27, 2014

Set in the beautiful World Heritage Site of Saltaire Village, a weekend of harp events will take place alongside the annual Saltaire Festival. Our technicians from Camac France will be at the Early Music Shop, one of our UK partners. We'll be there with an exhibition of lever and pedal harps, and offering FREE services on Camac harps (please book in advance for harp service).

March 26, 2014

Nice news from Angela Madjarova at Harp Corner, our partner in Bulgaria: a special presentation of Camac Harps recently took place at the National Academy of Music in Sofia. Seven harps were available for harpists to try out throughout the day, and students, professors and friends of the harp all enjoyed exploring our instruments. There was also a short presentation of our company past and present, and an informal concert to round off proceedings.

Here's the poster, which is Harpblog's first ever image in Bulgarian, and some photos from the day.

March 11, 2014

Beginning in the Middle will take place in Williamsburg between March 13th and 16th. As ever, it offers a wide variety of courses of great interest to all who love the harp. From Celtic music to jazz, from how to buy a harp to how to tune it, and from the Renaissance to the sacred, there is something for everyone. There is also a great balance of musical and practical harp issues, and a super-clear, informative website. You can also get your Camac harp regulated entirely for free! To take advantage of this special offer, please contact the VHC.

February 17, 2014

Jakez, and David Rescher-Dobek from the Harfengalerie Camac Berlin will be at the Frankfurt Musikmesse, between March 12th - 15th. If you would like to go, talk to Jakez and David, and explore our harp exhibition - we also have thirtytwenty-eight FIFTEEN FREE DAY PASSES to give away! Please email harpblog@camac-harps.com to receive your voucher code, and avoid having to spend 29€ at the Messe box office.

January 29, 2014

One of our senior technicians on the French team, Enric de Anciola, will be in Berlin next week. We have taken advantage of this to create a special offer for our clients: FREE regulations at the Harfengalerie Camac Berlin on February 4th and 5th, 2014. If you would like to have either your Camac pedal or your Camac lever harp regulated for free, all you have to do is contact harpblog@camac-harps.com, and make an appointment!

December 16, 2013

Here is a photo from another presentation by the Zagreb Harp Center, our Croatian partners. Organised in collaboration with the Hathor art organisation, and the French institute in Zagreb, the concert began with Miljenka Grđan, leading Croatian soprano and teacher at the Academy of Music, in duo with Tajana Vukelic Peić, harpist and artistic director of the Zagreb harp festival. They were followed by performances from professors Biserka Krčelić and Jasna Štiglić, and by their students from various music schools.

Following the success of the first Zagreb harp festival, the second will take place from May 17th - 24th, 2014. As in the first edition, the festival will feature a wide range of international-level concerts and masterclasses, by Maire-Claire Jamet, Gabriella Dall'Olio, Sylvain Blassel, Anna Verkholantseva, Ina Zdorovetchi, Tina Žerdin, Tanja Vogrin, Angelo Tolosa, and Mersiha Shukri and the Macedonian Mandolin Orchestra. There will also be a new element: a lever harp competition. Watch this space!

October 17, 2013

As we all head for the Camac Festival in Bordeaux, our partners in Israel will be throwing a launch party to celebrate the arrival of our new Isolde harps in their stock. The party will take place tomorrow, Friday October 18th, from 10AM to 2PM at Ayelet's String. It will feature two special workshops, by Sunita Staneslow and Nicolas Carter. Sunita will begin the morning with a class on special, exotic harp effects, before Nicolas explores traditional Paraguayan harmonies. For more information, please see the store Facebook page.